U.s. Issues

New Warning

To Haitians

WASHINGTON — Hoping to ward off a potential exodus, the Clinton administration warned Haitians on Friday that they will be seized and forced back home if they set sail for Florida.

The White House reasserted its forced-return policy even while allowing 411 Haitians to land in South Florida for medical treatment and processing.

"Haitians who attempt to enter the United States by boat will continue to be interdicted by Coast Guard cutters on the high seas and promptly returned to Haiti," State Department spokesman Michael McCurry said.

"It contributed to what happened today in Miami and has created the potential of even more surges of refugees from that tortured country," Graham said. "The fact that a boat of this size and with that many people could have gotten through indicates the tremendous anxiety of the Haitian people and their willingness to take whatever risks necessary to get out of that cage."

Graham, D-Fla., called for military intervention by multinational forces to oust Haiti's rulers and restore exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power.